The Maiden of War
by HellgateLegionLord
Summary: Preview of a story that will be on hiatus until I finish writing "Percy Jackson, Planeswalker"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Those following my fic. "Percy Jackson, Planeswalker" your probably remember that I had made a promise to post this during my intermission. Well, I've finally stopped being a douche and posted this. Keep in mind that this is only a preview. This fic will not receive any attention until I finsh my current fic. I hate leaving stories half finished.**

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Chapter 1: A Dead World and a Dying Hope

Dark. That was what could be described about the city. The streets were cracked and shattered with the rotted remains of corpses littered the ground along with a number of strangely shaped, metal carriages. The buildings were large and imposing, with an architecture that would have impressed and amazed in its prime. Now, however, they were crumbling and damaged beyond repair. The walls were grey from years of lack of attendance, and most of the windows were shattered from age. All around, large, black birds cawed and squawked as they searched for their next meal. Even the sky was a steel-like color that was only broken by the endless meteor shower that invaded the land. There was little sound apart from the occasional squawk of a black bird and the roar of an incoming fireball.

The city was dead.

The static atmosphere was slowly broken by the steady clinking of metal grieves against the hard ground, like someone in heavy armor was walking through the deserted town. How could that be? There were no signs of life within the darkened streets of this city of death, nor was there any sign that it could even house life at all. Slowly, the metal clanking grew louder and louder as a hooded figure approached what appeared to be a crossroads. The figure stood well, reaching to about five-foot-ten, and was lithe with feminine features, distinguishing it as a woman. She wore bright, silver armor trimmed with gold, a white cloth draped from around her waist, down to halfway below her knees while an equally white cloak hung from her shoulders. The hood was up, but her face was still visible.

Her appearance was striking. A heart shaped face baring the gentlest of features. Her eyes were a lovely brown not too dissimilar from that of milk chocolate. Her lips her a light pink and were lusciously full, but not puffy. Her hair was hidden under her hood, but several strands of flowing, dark brown could be seen, and two ornate, golden earrings hung from her lobes, swinging slightly as she walked. A large, gleaming claymore rested sheathed on her back beneath her cloak. The blade was easily half a foot wide, at its base, and four and a half feet long. Its hilt was golden with two bright, glowing, blue circles running the length of it. The grip was exceptionally long, meaning that the sword had been intended for wielding with two hands.

The woman's name was Elspeth Tirel. She was a Planeswalker; a being capable of travelling through the barriers that separated the many worlds of the multiverse. For many years Elspeth had been travelling from world to world in search of a place to call her home, since her own world had been claimed by insurmountable darkness and corruption. Her travels had taken her to the plane of Alara where she witnessed its shattering and rebirth. She journeyed to the world of Zendikar where she was forced to retreat to escape the relentless horde of the Eldrazi. Her ventures lead her to the metallic plane of Mirrodin, only to fight in a losing war against the Phyrexian taint. Escaping the blackened world, she found herself in the god-ruled lands of Theros, believing she had found her home, only to become the champion of a god against her wishes, and be sent to end the life of another god.

When the task was done, Elspeth rid herself of the god's blessing and left, hoping to never see the accursed plane again. Of course, she was no fool, she had kept a few of the perks that were had from her dealings with Heliod.

Now, here she was, walking through the husk of a world that she now found herself in. Why was she here? What purpose did she serve in a world of death? Suddenly, the horrid roar of an incoming meteor grew obscenely loud. Looking up, she witnessed a massive fireball crash directly into a building not two hundred feet from her current position. She had thought nothing of it and prepared to continue on her gate when loud groaning began to ring out from all around her.

 _Of course,_ she thought, her eyes narrowing as she drew her blade and faced the horde of shambling corpses as they rose from their place on the ground to face the intruder upon their land. How many world has she been in where she had to face the re-awakened dead now? Elpeth lost count. Standing evenly, she sized up her foes. They were far slowing than what she was used to; barely even a snail's pace. This wasn't even going to be a challenge.

With little to no effort, Elpeth, the slayer of Xenagose, bane of the Phyrexians, fear of Alara's evil, lazily slew over a hundred zombies at a leisurely pace. She finished her lazy dance of death as the last undead weakling fell. Cleaning her sword of blood, she examined her surroundings. Not a single corpse was in less than two pieces. Suddenly, the loud cry of something inhuman rung out, shaking the very air around Elpeth. The whole city wend quiet for several minutes. The tension was so great, it was nearly visible. For what seemed like eternity, not a sound was made. And then, the building the meteor had crashed into began to rumble, showing its inability to stay standing any longer.

As the stone behemoth collapsed, Elspeth felt and heard a massive object land on the ground behind her. Turning around, her sword raised, Elspeth came face to face with a massive man in a red cloak.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: First Encounter and Confrontation

How was this possible? They're gone. There shouldn't be a single one of them. It had been too long for anyone to survive. The early apocalypse had insured that. All that was left of them was the wandering corpses that haunted the streets of the ruined city he stood in. And, if there were any lucky enough to survive, the hordes of Demons that now ruled the world would have seen to their end quickly.

And yet, here one stood. A member of the third kingdom, one of the Creator's favored creations, a Human being was standing right in front of him. If someone had said it, he would have laughed, something he never did. But here she was. There was only one problem with the fact. She didn't match his preconceptions. This Human was nothing like the weaklings that had been wiped out. They feared and ran from the Demons when they first arrived. This one held none of that fear within her. If anything, she seemed rather at home among the barren wasteland, despite the angelic quality of her armor. The way she stood with confidence, held her blade with perfect ease, stared him down with unflinching eyes.

War didn't show it, but he was truly intrigued by the mere presence of the warrior maiden. Who was she? How had she survived all this time? Where did she get angelic armor that fit her? Angels were far too massive for their armor to be worn by standard humans. Among all these things, however, out stood one question. Where did she get that sword? The design was new to him. Not even Heaven had weapons that were so simple yet elegant. They tended to go for the more extravagant and ornate when it came to weapons. They were still effective, but War believed that they might have been more so if they had a more practical design. Sure Chaoseater was a little on the theatrical side, but at least it had a large, singular blade to perform its task. Some of the weapons that Heaven used however…War wondered if they were just meant for show.

His thought process was broken by a voice that made him think of an Archangel.

"Name yourself." The command was simple and to the point. War wasn't sure it favored her tongue. The mere sound of her breath was luscious, let alone her voice. Had he simply known her voice alone, he would have thought it belonging to a Succubus or an Archangel; not a human warrior. War, however, had no intention of answering her question. He needed to know how she was here.

"How are you alive?" he said, his rumbling voice, that should have intimidated her, having no effect whatsoever, "Humanity has been wiped from this world. How do you still stand?" Poor choice of words, it seemed, as the woman narrowed her eyes and gripped her sword, in one hand, even tighter than she had been.

"If that is true then you must not be human, which begs to ask; what are you?" Great. This conversation was only beginning, and already it was going nowhere. And just to make matters worse, War's little 'friend' decided to make its introduction. With a swirl of black smoke, the Watcher escaped from War's massive left gauntlet to give his two cents. Bad idea.

"What the hell?" the sniveling black creature exclaimed, his six eyes wide with quizzical shock, "How is a mouth-breather still alive? The Demons should have wiped them out by now." Of all the things the Watcher could have said, that was the worst.

"You ally with Demons?" was the woman's response to the outburst, her once soft, gentle face becoming one of a vicious gladiator. War said nothing as he regarded her, but his annoyance at the accusation did show as he narrowed his eyes to glare at her for saying that he would confer with such damnable beings. Another wrong choice of action as her response was to bring herself to an even footed combat stance.

Both War and the Watcher analyzed her. War saw the experience in the stance. He saw how easily she held her sword, despite its size. She was a practiced fighter and she knew it. The Watcher thoughts weren't as silent.

"Mmm," the slithering bird beast began, "it looks like she knows what you did, War. Better get rid of this harlot if you want to clear your name." the black slime could not continue his statement as he unleashed a scream of pain, courtesy of a beam of golden light that was fired from the woman's sword.

 _An enchanted blade,_ War thought to himself as he watched his 'companion' get sent flying back a good thirty feet before landing roughly, _there is more to her than it seem._

"You are the one responsible for this worlds fall?" the woman said, bringing War's attention back to her and watch as unfiltered rage and contempt filled her eyes. "If so, then you must pay the price for your evil." The die was cast. The challenge has been issued, and War knew that he could not walk away from this battle. At that moment, the Watcher appeared having recovered from the attack, and not too pleased.

"War," the slimy creature growled, "break this whore. But don't be too rough. I want to play with her when you're done." The end of the statement, and its meaning, could not be questioned. War didn't agree with it, but he had to fight her. He would not let her simply challenge his honor the way she had. Slowly, he drew his massive sword from his back and stepped into his own battle stance. This was no minor Demon or walking corpse. This was a seasoned warrior he was facing.

Silence filled the air around the two combatants. Not even the Watcher would make a sound. He knew that this was a crucial moment. War needed his concentration here, otherwise he could make a fatal mistake. For what felt like an eternity, the two swordsmen stood their ground, completely stock still.

Then War's eye twitched.

CLANG!

In an instant, swords clashed. Nephilim steel infused with a vicious miasma met with enchanted steel of unknown origins. War was slightly stunned. He actually felt a jolt of shock run up his arm. This woman's strength was on par with him. True, he was nowhere near as powerful as he once was; but, even in his current state, his attack should have broken her sword, shattered the bones in her arms, and split her straight down the middle.

"War, is it?" the woman quizzed, braking the horseman from his thoughts, "A fitting name for a bringer of such destruction. Know this, demon swordsman, I have battled with your kind many a time before. Know that I have faced foes far greater than whatever monstrosity has gained your soul. Know that as long as I breathe, this world will have a voice of justice for its fallen ones. Know that Elspeth Tirel has declared war on the forces of darkness that plague this world."


End file.
